


The Replacement

by Jennifer-Oksana (JenniferOksana)



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Het, Banter, Cylon Laura Roslin, Cylons, Gen, Implied Relationships, Mentions of Cancer, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 19:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6251947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniferOksana/pseuds/Jennifer-Oksana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Roslin meets her replacement. She's unimpressed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Replacement

There was another her standing in front of her desk.

Of all the crises in Laura Roslin's life, this was the latest. It was being complicated by the part where the other her was clearly expecting a reaction.

Honestly, there was something so tacky about the all-black suit and the attempt to do something with her hair that hid its difficulty.

"It must have taken you half an hour to do that to your hair," Laura said calmly. "I thought growing mine out would help, but no such luck."

The other her looked at her with complete confusion, a look that Laura had seen on Colonel Tigh's face and didn't really want to see on her own.

"You realize what this means, of course?" the other her said, exasperated.

"It does make sense," Laura said, continuing to work on her report about the thread shortage. "After all, the story was a little thin. Somehow, the Cylons managed to launch all of our own defenses against us by simple hacking? That's why we have failsafes. And I did have access to Adar, being his mistress and all. And really, to imagine the Twelve Colonies were defeated because Gaius Baltar can't keep it in his pants? Depressing."

"But you're a Cylon!" announced Roslin-the-Alternate with a tone of dramatic despair. "You serve the One God and His plan. These people are your enemies. You've deceived them with tales of your visions."

Laura looked over at the woman in the black suit, who was staring at her like they couldn't use each other for mirrors. Well, actually, this version of her looked a little less worn. Probably didn't have cancer. Or a thread shortage.

"But I really had the visions," Laura said placidly. "Things are really complicated in the field, you know. Are you really certain that you're ready to replace me and complete the plan? Speaking of which, what is the plan? After all, if I'm supposed to implement it, we should know it, right?"

There was something very pleasing about watching this stop the Cylon in her tracks.

"You are being deliberately obtuse."

"So I probably committed genocide. If I don't know how to maintain plausible deniability, that'll be bad for the re-election efforts," Laura replied.

Her alternate gaped at her in something that was between despair and awe, and Laura smiled the high, tight smile she had when Bill just wanted to snuggle and she hadn't quite gotten off yet.

Speaking of which, if she kept this one around and didn't shove it out an airlock, she could get twice as much work done and have more time to spend with Bill. And Lee. And Billy.

But that was foolish talk, born of enjoying watching a Cylon squirm. Even if she herself was a Cylon, and just because she was talking to a version of herself that believed she was a Cylon, it didn't mean it was true. There was always crazy or vision to include when Laura was talking about herself.

"Damn it!" the other her said, pulling out a small weapon. "I've had just about enough of this ridiculous patter. You're a Cylon! Don't you understand? You work with us, not them!"

"But they give much better massages," Laura said. "That Valerii girl is about ninety pounds, soaking wet. How is she going to get the knot out of my back? Billy does that so well."

Two pairs of blue eyes gazed into each other coldly as both Lauras folded their arms and glared. Of course, Laura thought, she was having more fun than her counterpart, who had just pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with faux-passion.

This one would never be able to replace her. Too snappish, too easily upset at things. With a job like the presidency, in a sensitive position like this, there could be no Cylon pride about the superiority of their people over humanity.

"Are you absolutely certain you haven't lost your mind, working with all these humans?" the replacement said, looking sour. Laura shrugged. "You sound like...well, not one of them. Not one of us, either."

"I'm not," Laura said. "Now, unless you want me to put you out the airlock, I'd betake my over-slicked hair and new suit and find another quadrant to be."

"This is your DESTINY," the other one said, sounding very put out. "Your hair could stand some work."

"I have three regular lovers and a couple of irregulars, a thread shortage, Cylons attacking me every which way, and a whole bunch of atoning to do for maybe killing my whole people," Laura said. "Plus remission, an election, and the crisis of the day. My hair is a low priority. Until it tries to kill me in my sleep, I can handle it."

The other her finally managed to act like Laura Roslin, and snorted. Derisively. "I'm so glad that you have your priorities in order," she said. "Despite the fact that you are a Cylon acting like you're a messiah for these murderous creatures."

"Until you can deliver me a memo about the one God's plan and our precise place in it, I think that this is a perfectly reasonable interpretation of my destiny," Laura said, smiling again. "Or was there more?"

"I'm leaving," the other Laura said, posing and pouting. "But this is not over."

"Go," Laura said, looking at the report and frowning. Maybe they could unravel something. All of those ceremonial flags would probably do the trick, for a medium-term solution.

When she looked up, the Cylon was gone. Laura decided that was a good thing, even though the temptation to find the thing and use it for very boring Quorum meetings and keeping more trysts was strong.

People would get suspicious, and it hadn't been a very good duplicate. Maybe if they sent one that didn't pout and pose, Laura could accept that she might be a Cylon, but until then, it was probably better to behave as though there was only one of her.

Quite the waste of a resource, though.


End file.
